Representatives from the Tennessee State Library and Archives and the Tennessee State Museum will be in Union City on June 3rd and 4th to record and digitize Civil War memorabilia owned by local residents for an exhibit titled “Looking Back: The Civil War in Tennessee.”

Archivists will be at the Discovery Park of America, 830 Everett Blvd. in Union City, on June 3rd from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. and June 4th from 9 a.m. until noon. During that time, they invite area residents from Obion, Lake, Weakley and surrounding counties to bring in original photographs, documents and other artifacts related to the Civil War.

The archivists will scan or take digital photographs of the materials, some of which will be featured in the exhibit, located online at www.tncivilwar150.org. The archivists will not actually take possession of the items from their owners.

Individuals may call (615) 741-1883 or e-mail civilwar.tsla@tn.gov to schedule a reservation with the archivists. Reservation forms and available times may be found on the State Library and Archives’ section of the Office of the Secretary of State web site at http://tn.gov/tsla/cwtn/cwtn_events.htm.

“This is an important project for the Tennessee State Library and Archives,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. “The Civil War was a major event in our state’s history, so we need to take appropriate steps to make sure these treasures are properly preserved for future generations.”

Attendees at the event will receive copies of the digital photographs and tips on how to preserve their Civil War memorabilia.

Archivists plan to visit as many of Tennessee’s 95 counties as possible in search of material for the exhibit, which commemorates the Civil War’s 150th anniversary.

Media coverage of the archiving work is encouraged.

For State Library and Archives press releases please contact Blake Fontenay at (615) 253-8759 or
c.blake.fontenay@tn.gov

All other quesitons should be directed to Adam Ghassemi, Director of Communications at (615) 253-2668 or adam.ghassemi@tn.gov